A New Dimension Arranged especially for Kirsty Abbotts' solo CD by Stephen Hague, this gem of a piece comes from the salvation army composer Joy Webb (composer of the well known cornet solo "Share My Yoke"). A New Dimension incorporates the same simplicity, lush harmonies and a gorgeous tune as was done in "Share My Yoke". A perfect addition to any bands library and soloists repertoire.

This exciting new concerto is a welcome addition to the repertoire of french and tenor horn players alike. Like the 18th-Century Serenade form there are five movements, arranged symmetrically around a slow movement - Soliloquy - which separates movements entitled Burlesque (two) and Valse Caprice (three) respectively. The first and last movements share common material of a more symphonic stature, and the concerto ends with a brisk fugato. The solo horn is (in the band version) accompanied by a quintet of solo players (two cornets, euphonium, trombone, and tuba) who provide the lion's share of the counterpoint and contrast with the main body of musicians who provide musical punctuation in the more sonorous tutti sections. The first movement, Don Quixote's Dream, contains references to Cervantes' famous hero, the Spanish nature of his stories, and the ambling gait of his horseback adventures.

This exciting new concerto is a welcome addition to the repertoire of french and tenor horn players alike. Like the 18th-Century Serenade form there are five movements, arranged symmetrically around a slow movement - Soliloquy - which separates movements entitled Burlesque (two) and Valse Caprice (three) respectively. The first and last movements share common material of a more symphonic stature, and the concerto ends with a brisk fugato. The solo horn is (in the band version) accompanied by a quintet of solo players (two cornets, euphonium, trombone, and tuba) who provide the lion's share of the counterpoint and contrast with the main body of musicians who provide musical punctuation in the more sonorous tutti sections. The first movement, Don Quixote's Dream, contains references to Cervantes' famous hero, the Spanish nature of his stories, and the ambling gait of his horseback adventures.

, arranged for brass band, was first commission by Keith Allen for the Birmingham Symphonic Winds. This second set of Danceries continues the format, established in the popular Danceries (Set I), of using tunes and dances from Playford s Dancing Master (17th century) to form the basis of an extended dancesuite. In this set, the melodies have become more abstracted and project only a distant echo of their original forms. As before, each movement is self-contained, colourful and direct, with its own distinct mood. The outer movements Jennie s Bawbee and Peascod s Galliarda share driving percussion with a military air. Tom Tinker s Toye and Heart s Ease (movements two and three) are both settings of original melodies. All movements are more extended than in the first set, with a freer use and approach to the material; melodies now occur in various keys and are supported by a greater variety of harmonic colouring. The result is a richer, even more exhilarating set of dances. Brass Band Grade 5.

I have been very fortunate in my life to have visited many wonderful countries and places around the world as a musician, whether it is as a composer, performer, conductor or soloist. From my experiences I wanted to compose a piece of music that showcases cities that never stop and have a constant hubbub of energy.The ‘Sleepless Cities' that have influenced the basis of this work are New York, London, Sydney, Tokyo, Istanbul, Amsterdam, Zurich, Cairo and Dubai. However, when composing this piece I decided it would be impossible to assign a particular musical theme that sums up each city, as they all have such a rich and diverse cultural establishment.Therefore I opted not to compose this piece in separate movements to identify each city. Instead, I composed a piece where each city blends into one another, almost as if you were taking a speedy cab ride through each bustling metropolis without a break and without the constraints of time or distance. With each metaphoric turn round a street corner you arrive in a different city and before the listener can get used to the surroundings the cab turns again into another conurbation.Sleepless Cities is composed using melodic lines that follow in the traditional western classical style. However, as some of these places are so culturally diverse, you will also hear other cultural musical influences; for example the opening uses elements of an Indian Raga and the euphonium cadenza at bar 126 is based on the Middle Eastern Islamic call to prayer. You will also hear examples of gamelan music and the use of consecutive 4th and 5th intervals including the pentatonic scale which is a trade mark of Chinese, Japanese and Indonesian traditional music. There are also a number of occasions where both the western and eastern musical styles amalgamate highlighting the natural harmony that the differing genres share in one place.Paul Lovatt-Cooper 2009

Mists On The River Wear is a ‘song and dance' for solo tuba. It was commissioned in 2010 by the Black Dyke Band's solo Eb Bass player and international tuba star Joseph Cook.The SongThe work opens with unaccompanied tuba announcing a three note motif which is the basis for the entire work. The accompaniment enters in broken cluster chords which emulate the mist gliding on the river at early morning. The mist clears and the river motif appears on tenor horns whilst the tuba melody flows above.Geographically, the River Wear passes past Durham Cathedral and Durham Castle as it works its way through the city and to reflect this musically there is an element of a renaissance dance in the centre of this movement in an attempt to capture the historic and physically dominating presence of these buildings within the city.As the movement draws to a close there is a passage of light scoring which enables the soloist to demonstrate their ability at performing multi-phonics, a haunting sound which is eventually engulfed by the sound of the river broadening out as it travels on its journey.The DanceIn contrast to the lyrical first movement, this second movement showcases the versatility of the instrument and the agility of the soloist in a lively dance.The dance begins in compound time and echoes the style of an English jig which represents the energetic life you find in the university city of Durham. There is a deliberate quote written into the theme of the jig which comes from the 1st Movement of Ralph Vaughan-Williams' Concerto for Bass Tuba, which Joseph and the composer share a fondness towards.A brief return to the riverside opening material of the piece quickly leads us into a pseudo "Jazz" waltz, where cross rhythms between soloist and accompaniment gives the melody a sense of disjointedness and ambiguity. However, the music soon flows back into a reprise of the jig with a closing cadenza section that brings Mists On The River Wear to a close.